Sijing Zhou English in Chinese Popular Culture

About this book

In the past few decades, a number of studies have addressed various aspects of English in China. Although few studies to date have investigated English in Chinese pop culture, the influence from Western culture and the English language on Chinese culture cannot be ignored. Thus, focusing on English in Chinese pop culture is an appropriate and significant topic.

First, surveying the history of English development in China and exploring the current roles and functions of English in China are important. China has a long history of English-Chinese contact, over 450 years. The first contact between British traders and the Chinese was in 1637, with the arrival of four ships in Macao and Canton. Historical records indicate Chinese pidgin English emerged around 1751 and was used along the east coastal area for communication and trade between Chinese and foreigners over the next 200 years before the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949.

After 1949, English usage has gone through dramatic ups and downs because of political changes. Since the beginning of the Open Door Policy in 1979, Chinese people have been exposed to the outside world to the greatest extent. Globalization has brought business, technology, Western culture, and the modern lifestyle and, of course, has made English, the international language, increasingly popular in China. Over the last several decades, English has gradually gained unprecedented power and strength in China in the educational and pop culture domains, a significant development in an Expanding Circlecountry like China.